Vandals who cut and stole a section of Telus cable had hundreds of Pitt Meadows residents playing cards and reading books over the weekend.

On June 18, the cable was removed and caused extensive damage to Telus infrastructure near 19483 Lougheed Hwy., said spokesperson Lena Chen.

“Our team immediately identified the issue and restored service to customers by 6 p.m. Saturday evening,” said Chen. “Because of the extensive damage caused by the vandals, we brought in specialized equipment, replacement cables, and additional technicians to support the work.”

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The cable theft disrupted Internet, TV, and home phone services to about 320 Telus customers in the area. Wireless services were not affected, which meant customers could use their cell phones to stay connected in the event of an emergency.

“These irresponsible acts of vandalism cause serious disruptions for our customers and potentially puts lives at risk by cutting off critical communications services,” said Chen. “Having a reliable connection at home has become more important than ever before as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, and many of our customers work from home.

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“We are very sorry to our affected customers for this interruption and inconvenience. We are working with the local RCMP to investigate the vandalism and ensure the full extent of possible charges are pursued.”

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